Henderson County Schools dropout rate lower than state's

Published: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 4:44 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 4:44 p.m.

Henderson County Public Schools had a dropout rate of 2.58 percent for the 2011-12 academic year, a better showing than the state average of 3.01 percent, school officials said Monday.

Locally, 107 of the district’s nearly 13,500 students dropped out last school year, in grades nine and up. Statewide, 13,488 students quit during the year, according to the 2011-12 Consolidated Data Report.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to keep students in school, said Kathy Revis, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the local school district.

”I just think it’s an all-out collaborative effort by all our school staff,” she said. “We are all working hard to support the needs of our students. I think the key is to try to develop personal relationships with students, whether it is a teacher, counselor, a bus driver — just somebody who they can talk to, who believes in them and believes they can be successful. Sometimes, connecting them with support services and being an advocate for them can make huge difference.”

A breakdown of Henderson County’s dropout statistics showed that along gender lines, 61 male students dropped out last year, compared to 46 females. The dropout report also showed that 87 of the students were white, nine were Hispanic, nine were multiracial, and the remaining three were black, American Indian or Asian, Revis said.

The school district no longer has a student mentoring program that in the past targeted dropouts and worked to get them back in school. The school district lost a state dropout prevention grant over the summer, which was funding the program, Revis said.

The statewide dropout rate represents a .42 percentage point decrease from the previous year’s rate of 3.43 percent, which was also a record low, according to the state report.

In a news release, state Superintendent June Atkinson said the numbers point to efforts by local school officials as the reason for the drop in numbers.

“High school students understand the connection between a diploma and the ability to reach their goals,” she said in the release. “Principals, teachers and support staff should be praised for their efforts to ensure that students are staying on track to complete their education and achieve success.”

Males accounted for 60.3 percent of reported dropouts statewide, which was slightly up from 60 percent in 2010-11, the report stated. Students dropped out most frequently at grade 10 (28.6 percent) followed by grade 9 (26.7 percent), grade 11 (25.3 percent) and grade 12 (17.3 percent). Statewide, attendance issues was the reason most cited by students for dropping out (41.5 percent).

<p>Henderson County Public Schools had a dropout rate of 2.58 percent for the 2011-12 academic year, a better showing than the state average of 3.01 percent, school officials said Monday.</p><p>Locally, 107 of the district's nearly 13,500 students dropped out last school year, in grades nine and up. Statewide, 13,488 students quit during the year, according to the 2011-12 Consolidated Data Report.</p><p>It's everyone's responsibility to keep students in school, said Kathy Revis, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for the local school district. </p><p>”I just think it's an all-out collaborative effort by all our school staff,” she said. “We are all working hard to support the needs of our students. I think the key is to try to develop personal relationships with students, whether it is a teacher, counselor, a bus driver — just somebody who they can talk to, who believes in them and believes they can be successful. Sometimes, connecting them with support services and being an advocate for them can make huge difference.”</p><p>A breakdown of Henderson County's dropout statistics showed that along gender lines, 61 male students dropped out last year, compared to 46 females. The dropout report also showed that 87 of the students were white, nine were Hispanic, nine were multiracial, and the remaining three were black, American Indian or Asian, Revis said.</p><p>The school district no longer has a student mentoring program that in the past targeted dropouts and worked to get them back in school. The school district lost a state dropout prevention grant over the summer, which was funding the program, Revis said. </p><p>The statewide dropout rate represents a .42 percentage point decrease from the previous year's rate of 3.43 percent, which was also a record low, according to the state report.</p><p>In a news release, state Superintendent June Atkinson said the numbers point to efforts by local school officials as the reason for the drop in numbers.</p><p>“High school students understand the connection between a diploma and the ability to reach their goals,” she said in the release. “Principals, teachers and support staff should be praised for their efforts to ensure that students are staying on track to complete their education and achieve success.”</p><p>Males accounted for 60.3 percent of reported dropouts statewide, which was slightly up from 60 percent in 2010-11, the report stated. Students dropped out most frequently at grade 10 (28.6 percent) followed by grade 9 (26.7 percent), grade 11 (25.3 percent) and grade 12 (17.3 percent). Statewide, attendance issues was the reason most cited by students for dropping out (41.5 percent).</p><p>Reach Kelley at 828-694-7871 or leigh.kelley@blueridgenow.com.</p>